Insignificance

It seems to me that social media has created a generation of people who revel in their own false importance. Opinions are everywhere. Tweeting is the order of the day. I look askance on it all. How much of all of that will be remembered in 5 years? Almost nothing. 100 years? Nothing. The reality is that the vast majority of what we do is insignificant in the vastness of creation.

Want a first-hand lesson in how small and insignificant we are really are? Take a walk above the treeline during a thunderstorm. You will feel small, insignificant, and exposed, much like I did in 2014 on my Skoki Circuit in Banff National Park.

The day started out great, but as I approached Deception Pass, weather moved in quickly, and thunder filled the air with menace. I took a quick shot at the top of the pass, but moved quickly off the pass as the thunder quickened to about 15 audible strikes / minute (almost non-stop). The only thing sticking above the landscape at Deception Pass was me, and I was very aware of it.

I've always been wary of lightning in the alpine, but sometimes it's just going to be there while you are, and you just have to do the best you can. On my way down the pass I did stop again in the rain to shoot Mysotis and Zigadenus Lakes, beautiful turquoise gems.